


For Want of a Nail

by Regret (IntrepidEscapist)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Adventure, Eventual Romance, Other, Romance, Self-Insert, self indulgent fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-21 15:09:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11946849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntrepidEscapist/pseuds/Regret
Summary: You're a traveling witch who heard that the Kingdom of Germa 66 had some strange activity going on. You didn't necessarily want to help, but you did know a good scam when you saw one. Of course you were bound to wind up getting yourself into some kind of nonsense. ReaderxSanji Fantasy AU.





	1. Chapter 1

Admittedly, you thought perhaps your wardrobe could do with a bit less black.

The small city you were in bustled with activity.  The advent of summer brought sunny days and the fabric of your skirts started to burn under the hot gaze of the sun. You much preferred travelling at night, but when looking for jobs it was best to hear what people said during their daytime shopping. Gossip traveled far.

Your last stop was a small village. Not much to look at, and you hadn't expected to be paid so handsomely; but clearing the town water supply earned you respect, gratitude, and enough coin to keep you comfy for a few months. You didn't have to work, but traveling was fun and kept you occupied, so you listened to the gossiping men and women in the shopping district

As you stood in front of a shop contemplating if you should invest in a lighter colored outfit, you heard something good.

“I heard the Germa kingdom wasn’t doing well,” an old woman said. There were two of them, one in a bright green hat, the other with such a thick pair of glasses you weren’t even sure if she had eyes under there.

“Nonsense. The last time you said that they annexed two countries,” the woman in glasses said.

Germa 66 was as notorious as it was violent, and boy, did that sound interesting.

“It’s different! I hear the people are getting sick! A mix up with some-” she looked back and forth, then crossed herself, “-foul spirits.”

Your ears practically twitched at that. That sounded exactly like your business, or at least something you could take advantage of.

“That’s a load of nonsense; there’s no such thing,” the other woman scoffed.

“I’m telling you I saw a grim at the church last week!”

Their voices grew fainter as they walked away from you, but you heard enough. With a little bit of investigating, you’d probably be on your way to Germa 66. First, you would do a little bit of shopping. If you were going to do some work, you might as well stock up. You looked a the light blue skirt of the dress in the window. Maybe some new clothes would be a good idea. You had to make a good impression on the king.

As you shopped around, you listened on for any other juicy tidbits that might help you build your case. Of course you already had some knowledge of the vicious kingdom. The royal family was a group of ruthless, detestable people from what you’d heard. The king himself, Judge Vinsmoke, was infamous for beheading the four previous kings of the area that predated Germa 66. All at once, while they begged for mercy. You could do some good work, but conning the king because he was a bastard of a man sounded like fun.

You found out there were five royal children while you picked up some black heeled boots, that the queen died years ago as you picked through crystals, and that apparently they held a funeral for the third son as you got your tattoo touched up.

“Turns out he wasn’t actually dead,” the woman said as she outlined the eye on the back of your neck. “Don’t really know the details though.”

All in all, once the sun started to go down you had some flattering new clothes, a replenished stock of supplies, and a good idea of what the morals of Germa 66 were like.

There were none.

It’d a be a few days flight to Germa 66, so you decided on a bit more recon before setting off. On the way into the city you’d been shopping you’d spotted a sidhe, and there was no better time to mingle. A faerie owed you a bottomless bag anyway.

The hill was easy to spot, even in the city. A few residents warned you from going there but once they got a better look at you they scurried away. A witch was the last person who needed help dealing with spirits. Things could get rowdy every now and then but you didn’t endure your Dami’s training to be pushed around by the otherworldly.

You walked up the grassy sidhe as the sun descended, eventually disappearing behind the earth. A few wisps of color and laughing spirits were out, twilight being the perfect time for them to crossover. As the moon rose up you noticed a few figures milling about the top of the hill that weren’t there before. There were your people.

When you reached the peak you saw a few familiar spirits along with some more menacing ones.  You avoided the reaper and moved toward the animal spirit. They were some hulking mass of white fur and claws, everything but their sharp teeth covered by fluff.

“Ah, you again,” they said. “Looking for work?”

“Information.” You passed them one of the many bags you were carrying and they took it, parting it with large hands.

“Mmm, very nice,” they said. They tucked the cloth bag into their fur and you didn’t think too hard about how. “What are you sticking your nose into this time?”

“Germa 66. Heard there’s some commotion there.”

The reaper hovering nearby didn’t seem to like what you said, and your soul was nearly theirs for the taking with how bad they scared you, moving in front of your face with otherworldly speed.

“Germa is mine,” they hissed. You grit your teeth to keep from screaming your head off because, gods. “I won’t share the sweet, sweet death spreading through the land.”

You didn’t know what they were talking about but you weren't keen on getting in their way. Reapers really weren’t your cup of tea. Or anyone’s cup of tea, but most people couldn’t even see them. You were just lucky enough to be able to see the reaper and feel like you were gonna shit yourself when you did.

“No, no…” you stammered, “I just, I’m not going to stop people from dying, I-” You needed a moment to gather yourself. “I was just, going to take advantage of the king.”

The reaper hovered in front of you, staring you down with eyeless sockets. After a few moments of shit wrenching silence they finally nodded and put a little bit of space between the two of you.

“There’s too much death there for me to risk a witch going there to fix things,” the reaper said.

You nodded shakily and raised your hands in surrender. All you wanted was some extra money and to fuck with someone who didn’t deserve the power they had. Or something like that.

“I just wanted to know what was happening there,” you said.

The reaper backed off a little bit and you let yourself breath for just a moment.

“I heard they were working with spirits,” you said, attempting to convey you weren’t going to do anything to stop them with the fear in your eyes.

You paused, trying to think of what to do next. “I’m just trying to take advantage of the chaos.”

The reaper tilted its skeletal head from side to side and ran a bony finger over the scythe blade.

“A noble cause,” the finally said, and you tried not to collapse in relief. “There was some spirit work. I can...taste the residue. Very dangerous things left their mark on the royal family. Brings in bad luck, makes my job,” the reaper took in a deep breath they didn’t need, “easy.”

“Ah,” you said, struggling to find your words. “Sounds interesting.”

“Where do you hold dominion?” the reaper asked. 

You really hoped you’d never see this reaper again. “I’m a sea witch.”

“Ah, as fate would have it,” the reaper sounded so uncomfortably seductive, especially for a being without eyeballs. “The king brought up some sunken pirate treasure. Several billions worth.”

“Oh, well that’s-”

“And then lost almost all of it in three weeks once a plague hit. So sad, really.” The reaper didn’t sound sorry.

“Must’ve been cursed,” the animal spirit said. “Or hexed.”

“Mmm, either way the tragedy is,” the reaper shuddered, “exquisite.”

“Mm,” you hummed. “I won’t intrude.” The reaper seemed to like that you wanted absolutely nothing to do with it and floated off. You let out a sigh of relief once they were far enough for you to not think about all of your past regrets.

“There was some spirit work there, not that they mention it,” the animal spirit said. “Years ago. It cost the queen her life.”

Now that was less terrifying (for you), and caught your interest. “Really?”

“You know better than others not to tamper with what lays at the bottom of the sea.”

“Of course, and that’s why I’m not hexed,” you said. “Tell me more.”

The animal spirit sighed, but relented. The package you gave them was just enough to loosen their lips. 

***

The ride to Germa 66 was pleasant. The sun was hidden behind a thick cloud cover, though it likely wouldn’t rain until the next day.  The kingdom was large as it was ever expanding. It was easy enough to find the palace since it jutted straight into the sky, an iron testament to the King’s prestige. It didn’t matter much to you, especially considering the circumstances you know had befallen the royal family.

You touched down just past the front gates of the palace, dressed in you new turquoise and black grab, your broom decorated with evil eyes and gems. The guards on duty froze up, fear obvious on their faces as they flinched with every click of your heel on the ground. 

“What business do you have here?” one of them asked. It was a fair question, you thought.

“I heard the king was in need of a witch,” you said. The two guards looked at each other, then back to you. You just smiled as they silently struggled to make a decision.

“Th-this way,” one of the guards said, and you gave them a little bow for their manners. You smirked when they jumped. Nothing was stopping you from walking to the palace gates like a normal person, but why pass up the chance to intimidate some unwitting guards?

You were led into the palace, fear and unease radiating off the two guards. Truthfully you would need some time to cause some harm to them magic-wise, you weren’t prepared for much fighting at the moment, but what they didn’t know only helped you. The inside of the palace was lavish, all marble and carefully carved stone. There were a few abrasions in the walls, evidence of some violence that wasn’t completely shielded by the tapestry it hid behind. You wondered if the damage was recent.

“Do you have an appointment with the King?” one of the guards asked.

You said nothing. This seemed to intimidate them for some reason, not that you were complaining. Showing up uninvited and unannounced wasn’t the best way to go about things, but you were a lucky one. The cards told you it would be a good day. As long as you remembered what the animal spirit told you, and what the reaper warned you about, you would be fine.

When you walked into the throne room the King seemed confused, so you were already at the advantage. He was a monster of a man, in reputation, and apparently in stature. He could’ve been eight feet tall at least, but it wasn’t a dick measuring contest.  You just needed to keep a clear head.

“Who is this?” King Judge asked, not even to you, but to one of the guards that brought you in.

You didn’t wait for the guard to even stammer a reply. “I heard you were in need of a witch,” you said.

The King narrowed his eyes at you. “This is a kingdom of science.” And that’s all he said as if it was enough to discredit you.

“I heard your kingdom was experiencing trouble,” you said. He opened his mouth but you cut him off. “A plague over the country, and all for some cursed pirate gold.”

There was silence, and the King looked like he wanted to personally paint the walls with your blood.

“Of course, the money you lost isn’t the real problem.”

“Why are you here?” the King asked. You weren’t worried, all you had to do was bluff. You knew more than enough to work your way through this. The guards that escorted you had backed away a bit, leaving you to face off with their bloodthirsty monarch.

“I heard you were in need of a witch,” you said again. “I’m here to help for a price, if you’d like.”

“What exactly did you hear?” he asked. You could hear the tension in his voice. His fingers were taut against the armrests of his throne. He was pressed. You did your best not to smile.

“Oh it was nothing from anyone under your jurisdiction,” you said. “A little...birdy told me that, oh well, I’m sure you already know.”

The look on the King’s face told you he clearly did, but he wanted you to say it. You smiled against your better judgement.

“If you need assistance I can help. If not, I’ll leave,” you said.

The guards looked between you and their King. You were calm thanks to knowledge on spirits could give, otherwise you’d probably be wetting yourself.

“We don’t need help,” the King’s words were sharp, “especially from a witch. Do you know what kingdom you’re in?”

“The same kingdom whose queen was killed by a mishap with dark spirits, of course.”

The silence was deafening, and you knew you had him. You said just enough to warrant your death, but also just the right thing to hold the King’s interest.

“How do you know about that?” the king growled. Honestly even if you didn’t he just confirmed it. “Everyone involved was killed, and I know you weren’t there.”

“Like I said, I heard you were in need of a witch,” you said. “If you don’t need me, I’ll just leave.”

You even went through the motions of turning around, a grin on your face when the king couldn’t see you, and it only widened when he said, “Wait.”

“Stay,” he ordered, though you knew you were actually the one with the advantage. You turned around to look at the monarch that could very well kill you himself if you hadn’t mentioned any top secret information that could destroy his reign.

“You...may stay,” he said. He sounded a bit pained, but it worked. “I’ll have one of my sons escort you to a room.”

You bowed. “I’m glad to be of service.”


	2. Chapter 2

To your horror, the guards that escorted you were killed once King Judge’s son reached the premises.  

Of course it made sense, everyone who knew about the circumstances of the queen’s death was killed. You were spared only because you cut a deal with the king. Still, it was jarring to see guts splatter the wall with such explosive force you felt a breeze. 

The prince himself was...he certainly had a look.

“This is my beloved first son, Ichiji,” Judge said.

All you could look at was the red mess on top of the man’s head. He looked like he was trying to impersonate a rooster. When you managed to tear your eyes away from his hair you saw, oh gods. At least now you were looking at his face, but why did his eyebrows look like _that?_

Ichiji shook his hand free of viscera. You didn’t say anything because you were afraid that you’d throw up if you opened your mouth.

“Who’s this?” Ichiji asked. He didn’t sound like he had much respect for you, but there was an undercurrent of lechery that you didn’t appreciate.

“A witch. They’ll be staying with us indefinitely,” Judge said. “Have a room prepared for them.” The prince gave you a once over and grinned. You had the distinct feeling his siblings wouldn’t be much better.

“What do we need a witch for? Magic isn’t real,” Ichiji said.

“What _do_ you need me for? Something, apparently.” You glanced at the King and he didn’t refute you. The prince glanced between you and his father, expression unreadable. The only sound you heard in the room was of blood dripping down the walls and you heart hammering in your ears. 

Somehow they didn’t call your bluff.

Judge waved you off with a hand, “Give them a tour.”

Ichiji nodded and approached you. It was a challenge to hold back a sigh of relief. You kept your eyes on the prince and away from the remains of the guards.

“Come with me,” Ichiji said. His hand went to the small of you back. Someone was a little too damn friendly for his own good, but you made it this far. Being ornery now would be stupid.

“Call someone to clean up this mess, and don’t be so sloppy next time,” the King said as you were on the way out.

“What did you tell my father?” Ichiji asked.

“I just said I heard you needed my services,” you said.

“From who?”

“No one you’d be able to kill.”

He laughed at that and the fingers on your back crept a little lower. For a second you wondered if that reaper would be willing to make a house call, but with the way you turned up it’d seem like your fault if Ichiji died. It would be, but it didn’t need to be obvious. Maybe another time. It’d be happy what with the those poor guards that were painting the throne room.

“There’s no one we can’t kill,” Ichiji leaned down to look at you, his grin both overly cocky and somewhat threatening. You figured you’d play it safe and roll with what he said, mostly because while there were things he definitely couldn’t kill, you weren’t on the list of those.

“So, have you ever had a witch here before?”

“Not for long. We don’t need things like magic here.” That was bullshit, considering what that animal spirit had told you. “But you must have something to offer if Father didn’t kill you right away.”

That was reassuring. Come to think of it, you hadn’t put together a plan if things went sour outside of “fly away really, really fast.”

The hand on your back moved a little lower and on reflex you slapped it away. Ichiji just laughed and gestured in front of him.

“This way.”

The palace was enormous and admittedly a little plain. The color scheme was mostly muted blues and yellows. It was awfully empty and cold for such a large place, but based off what you’d heard about Germa, it seemed to fit. You didn’t pay much attention to what Ichiji was saying, mostly because you knew you wouldn’t be able to find your way around the place with a map, and partly because his voice was just unpleasant on the ears.

There was some kind of weird presence hovering around the place from what you could tell. Some bad juju if you ever felt it. Despite the prince’s claims of excellence and prestige you could tell something wasn’t quite right here. 

“The garden is here. You’d probably find some use for it-”

Ichiji was cut off by a crash, followed by shouting and sounds of some kind of fight. Admittedly you jumped. The prince just sighed.

“I’ll take care of that.”

Clearly you weren’t meant to follow, but you did anyway. Maybe it was a rogue spirit they were trying to hide?

You rounded the corner to see what was clearly not a rogue spirit. They had to be related, the hair was dead giveaway with how heinous it looked.

“One, two, three,” You counted heads, a blue, a green, and one seemingly knocked out blond.

“Ah, Ichiji! Who’s this?” it was the green haired one. He stepped on the blonde as he walked. The damage done to the area matched what you saw when you first walked in. Veritable craters of damage were on the floor. The blue and green haired men walked up to you and looked you over. Was the blond guy gonna be alright? He looked a little bit dead to you.

“A witch. Father hired them, so I’m giving the grand tour.”

You heard on the way in that the princes were supposed to be handsome. Maybe if they didn’t have abstract art for hair they’d look alright but-- were their eyebrows curly too? You stared hard at the green haired one’s face. 

“What do we need a witch for?” he asked. Gods, his eyebrows looked the number six sideways. A quick glance at the other two showed they had the same damage on their face. The family was clearly cursed, and in the most unfortunate way too. Who did the king piss off for his kids to look like that?

“If you need to ask then you don’t need to know,” you said. The poor thing was clearly unaware of his own misfortune. You pointed at the downed lump of a man on the floor. “Who’s that?”

“Who care’s about him? I’m Yonji.” 

You looked at the blue haired one and he responded with, “Niji.” You were sensing a naming pattern. The blond on the floor stirred and started to push himself up, but Yonji took a quick swipe at his head with the heel of his boot and he went down again.

“I’m...charmed,” you managed to say. Yonji was happily looking down the front of your dress. You were well aware of the fact your chest looked great and didn’t need the confirmation.

It was probably for the best that you didn’t ask what was going on. You didn’t think you wanted to spend time around all three of the princes. Their auras were....heinous.

“Ichiji,” he turned at the sound of his name. “I actually have an idea of what I should do here. At least to start with. Can you tell me where my room is?”

The redhead raised his weird eyebrows at you. “Already? There’s still more of the palace you haven’t seen.”

“There’s a,” you made something up, “strong energy here. I’ll start working right away.”

If he was onto you he didn’t give any indication; instead he shrugged. “I’ll call a servant to escort you.” He offered you his hand so could more easily move around the man who was presumably dead on the floor.  You at least had the courtesy to step over the body. Considering what Ichiji did to those two guards you wouldn’t be surprised if those other two barbarians would leave the body in the hall.

You had yet to see if mooching off the king’s insecurities would be worth it. If things were looking this messy in a week maybe you’d take your business elsewhere.

***

Your room was spacious. The decor was plain and had only basic furnishings, but that was something you could fix yourself. The bed was large and comfortable, which was arguably the most important part of the room. The first course of action was to cleanse the space and put up some barriers. It wasn't that you inherently distrusted the Vinsmokes, just that you were certain one of them might come to kill you in the dead of the night for kicks.

At the very least they didn't believe in witchcraft, which gave you an advantage. Didn't matter if they didn't believe. They wouldn't be getting into your room anytime soon.

Once the moon was up you started cleansing your space. Burning sage worked wonders, but you threw in some juniper in too. The windows were salted, you arranged your crystals accordingly, and evil eyes were hung inside the room and outside on the door. You left a few sprigs of lavender on a plate to let any lingering spirits the room was now occupied. 

By midnight you had the basics covered so you moved onto spell casting. Nothing too grand, though you made use of your wand to set up barriers all around your room. You drew a few sigils on your door to get anyone with bad intentions turned around and miss the door entirely. 

By the time you were done, anyone who wanted to give you a hard time would struggle to find your room if they were looking right at it. All that’s left was the black salt.

You opened the door and glanced around, glass jar in hand. No one was around. Figured, considering it was the wee hours. You opened the jar and carefully sprinkled a line of black salt across the threshold. That should take care of everything. There wasn’t any harm in salting the halls where the princes walked, you thought. The less you had to deal with them the better. You started walking the empty halls, sprinkling salt on the floor as you went.

From your knowledge there were five royal children, and considering you already met three you didn’t have high hopes for the last two. You could hardly remember the exact way you got to your room, but it was a fair assumption that the family had been through every hall in the palace.

The place wasn’t creepy, but it certainly wasn’t welcoming. It wasn’t lived in. Now that you had the chance to look around you definitely felt the presence of lurking spirits. It seemed like the place had been turned into some kind of waypoint. Gods knew what the king did here to make this happen.

“This is a kingdom of science my asshole,” you muttered. You were already seeing figures moving about in the corners of your eyes. If you looked through a hagstone there’d probably be a party going on in the halls.

As you wandered the halls and the night went on, the spirits got clearer. In hindsight you probably should’ve put the salt in a more cohesive line as you walked instead of flinging it around. You wouldn’t be so heinously lost if you had a trail to follow. You didn’t even bring your pendulum so you could try and dowse your way out. Your fingers had enough charcoal on them from the black salt so you supposed you could start drawing arrows on the walls.

Honestly papa Vinsmoke did have some issues he could’ve used a witch for. The sucker didn’t know enough to hire an honest one. His loss, your gain.

The sound of footsteps made you jump. For a moment you weren’t sure if something was materializing or if one of the princes showed up to kill you. The hall you were approaching only turned to the left and the footsteps were only getting louder. You readied your salt and walked forward. At the very least you could attempt to get the jump on whatever was coming around. 

Nothing with any sense would be wandering around the castle at this hour.

You flung a handful of salt when you turned the corner. It caught the attention of a blond man in a blue pajama set. He jumped at the sudden movement and the salt smacking against his shirt, and you jumped because you didn’t know what you expected to see but you were just jumpy in general.

“What the hell…?”

He looked down at the black smudges on his shirt and you peered at him, wondering why he seemed familiar. Wait, that was it!

“Oh my god, they really killed you today,” you said. It was the blond dude’s ghost, now forever cursed to wander the halls. You reached for his wrist. “I can get you out of here.”

He looked down at you, confused. Now that you saw his face you noticed that his visible eyebrow was...just like the other prince’s. You held each other’s gaze, blinking as you tried to process what exactly was going on.

“You’re…” you squeezed his wrist noting that it felt less like noncorporeal dense air, and more like flesh and blood, “not dead…”

“No...I’m not.”

You nodded. That was...good?

“Wait, who are you? What are you doing in here?” The man grabbed your shoulder, sounded panicked. You ran through your mental list of the prince’s names.

“If anyone finds you they’ll kill you!” He tugged you down the way he came and you stumbled over your heels.

There were five children; four princes. Ichiji, Niji, Yonji…

“Ah! Sanji!” You dug your heels into the ground and the offending prince looked at you. “You’re the prince I didn’t meet.” 

You thought back to Yonji kicking him in the head as he laid in a crater on the palace floor.

“What?” He was obviously confused.

You pulled your wrist from his grip. Honestly if you were going to make a grand escape from this place you’d use your broom. That was much faster. “I saw you earlier. On the, uh, floor. I thought you were dead, but you must’ve just been unconscious.”

As you thought back to the exact moment, you realized you must’ve seen the tail end of a royal family beat down. Judging by the way Sanji’s brothers didn’t seem to give a shit, you were going to guess that Sanji was the black sheep of the family. Or blond sheep. Or he lost a bet.

“I’m a witch,” you explained. “Your dad hired me.”

Sanji took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. “I thought you snuck in.”

You didn’t need to guess what would happen if you snuck in. Sanji made quite the impression though, considering his first reaction was to try and save your life even though you had never officially met. Did people try and break into the palace often? 

The smell of cigarette smoke hit the air. You were considering whether or not it was improper to ask if you could bum one off a prince when Sanji lost his fucking mind.

“You’re positively radiant! To what do I owe this pleasure?” He took your hands in his and there were practically hearts in his eyes. You thought you might’ve gotten whiplash from the sudden change in character. What the hell was up with this family? Besides the, uh, obvious.

You wondered why he didn’t find it strange a witch was throwing salt around his home at three am. You could be lying for all he knew. 

“Uh,” you looked at Sanji, now on one knee and holding your hands like they were his lifeline. “I’m…”

You didn’t get a chance to answer because a sudden feeling of foreboding blanketed the area. Goosebumps rose up on your skin and a chill ran down your spine. What in the gods names was that?

You snatched your hand out of Sanji’s and looked around, immediately on the defense. Something really was in this palace, and considering it was already a waypoint you were a little beyond concerned. Sanji didn’t seem to feel a thing, just looked confused at your sudden change in behavior.

“What’s-”

“Who lives on this floor?” you asked, hand already in the jar of black salt. Whatever was lurking here wasn’t happy about you cleansing the space. You told him you name as an afterthought, he did ask after all.

“Nobody, is something-”

“Then who died on this floor?!” you asked. The atmosphere was getting more oppressive. Small spirits that floated in the halls were leaving the premises.

You didn’t get an answer.

“Fuck,” you muttered. Whatever was here was pissed off and getting closer. You grabbed a handful of salt and threw it down the hall Sanji had come from, then reached for the blond’s hand. "We need to leave. Something’s here.”

You started tugging him down the hall without further explanation. Yes, you said you were going to take care of whatever was here, but not at three AM with nothing but a jar of salt and a prince. Thankfully Sanji seemed happy to follow your lead without question.

“I don’t see anything coming,” Sanji said. He was back to somewhat serious in lieu of your panic.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Wait.” Sanji stopped and picked you up. You sputtered and tried to protest, but then you realized you actually had no idea where you were going except ‘away’. He also proved a lot faster than you anyway, and after dashing down a few flights of stairs and through several hallways. Sanji moved fast enough that you managed to get away from the presence.

“Okay okay put me down,” you wriggled in his grasp. “It’s gone.”

The prince complied and you brushed off your clothes. Thankfully you didn’t feel whatever the hell you pissed off anymore.

“So what was that?” Sanji asked. “I didn’t feel a thing.”

“Malignant spirit, or a demon, I don’t know.” You looked over your shoulder despite the fact you knew nothing was there. “I didn’t actually plan on performing an exorcism here.”

“You know how to do that?” Sanji asked.

“Hell no. What do I look like, a priest? Something isn’t right in this place. ‘Kingdom of science’ my ass.”

You didn’t actually plan on doing much here but, as your luck would have it, it was three steps away from becoming a gate to hell. Figuratively, you hoped. What did the king _do?_ You put your hands on you hips and huffed. You glanced at Sanji then walked over to him, plucking his cigarette from between his lips and taking a drag. 

“I might actually have to do some work here,” you said. A quick glance at Sanji showed he had that dopey look on his face again. He was an interesting one, less of an asshole than his brothers.

That was enough work for one night, you thought. You took one more puff from the cigarette then reached up to pop it back into Sanji’s mouth. A trickle of blood dripped from his nose. Attractive.

“I’m going to bed. Nice to meet you,” you said.

Sanji made some weird kind of noise, and you were certain he’d have some heart eyed look if you turned around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't have the urge to wrote this anymore after the first chapter tbh but the nice comments were a good motivator thanks for the comments more to come

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna be 100% real with you guys. I'm only posting this for feedback bc depression has been kicking my ass and the instant gratification of comments might motivate me to get back into writing like I used to. I'm writing this for my own pleasure, or at least trying to, so if you want more, comment and I'll post when I can. If I get far enough into this it'll be NSFW. Cheers.


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